Night had fallen. Jasmine listened to Shadeau’s steady breaths behind her. She’d spent the day in his arms, fueling her desire even more to make this work for them. So many mysteries were locked inside him, and she wanted the chance to unravel them all.
They didn’t speak much. But in the middle of the day he’d made sweet, slow love to her until her toes had curled. She didn’t push for any more than he was ready to give. There would be plenty of time to get to know him if she had her way.
With easy movements she started to remove her body from his side. A few times his breathing caught, making her halt. As soon as the steady rhythm returned she’d move again.
Finally free from his embrace, she tiptoed around him and made for the stall door. With her hand gripping the top, she prayed the hinge wouldn’t creak or groan. She pushed and nearly sighed in relief when it swung open silently. Once she’d closed it, she made for the exit, shifting into her wolf once she pulled it open. The gust of cold wind would no doubt wake him, so she bolted.
Running in the snow wasn’t the easiest of feats, but after living this long in Missouri she’d gotten used to it. The problem was that there was no way to cover her tracks. Shadeau’s howl pierced the air and a shiver of dread raced down her spine. He was angry. Hell, it wasn’t as if she expected him to be anything less. She picked up the pace, knowing he’d follow.
In fact, she wanted him to follow. If she could just get him in front of her alpha she could explain and they could work toward figuring this all out. She knew Shadeau’s stubbornness never would allow him to go to Luken willingly. She hoped he’d realize she’d done it for them so they could be together.
Her gaze panned the area and she figured out where she was. The den sat approximately three miles straight ahead. They hadn’t traveled far, which was good.
She heard the snarl behind her and knew he was closing the distance. Pumping her legs hard, she cleared the trees at the edge of her den. She was partially puzzled as to why she hadn’t seen patrol tracks. It hadn’t snowed anymore this evening, and with all the danger, she figured the patrol would be heightened not nonexistent.
The feeling that something was terribly wrong increased as she reached the first line of houses. She slowed to a walk, knowing Shadeau would catch up. Her mind opened up to him.
Something’s wrong
.
His black furred form appeared next to her. He bared his teeth, but didn’t make a sound.
What in the hell do you think you’re doing
?
Jasmine walked slowly between two houses, ignoring his question. He could be mad at her later.
There should be others here. Did your alpha take them all
?
Shadeau took the lead, staying close to the side of a house as he peered ahead.
We had a lot of wolves with us, but not enough to have taken your whole pack
.
And he’s not my alpha
.
She turned to look at Shadeau.
I have to reach out to them
. Her pulse accelerated as different terrible scenarios played through her head.
Just wait
.
Have you not figured out that I wasn’t leaving you yet
?
I know, but that doesn’t mean I’m exactly big on the idea of running into your alpha. They’ll take you from me
.
We have to give it a chance, Shadeau
. She brushed her body against his. He growled low but she knew it was more in frustration than anger.
Just stay here and let me take a look
.
Her heart gave a flutter at his protectiveness. It was sweet, but she could hold her own. Since he wasn’t being as pigheaded about things, she decided to humor him. She watched from between the houses as he moved toward the street. The snow gleamed like thousands of diamonds beneath the pale light of the moon. The quiet stillness made her shiver. Why would they have abandoned the den?
Her ears perked as she heard the crunching of snow. She peered around the corner and saw a human form moving in the shadows. The barrel of a gun was the next thing she saw and it was pointed at Shadeau. Fear clogging her throat, she leapt into action and dived for the man with the gun. She caught his arm with her teeth, and the boom of the shot made her ears ring painfully.
She released his flesh and rolled across the ground, regaining her feet quickly. A human male shouted from across the street.
“I told you those freaks hadn’t all left, Sam!”
Another shot rang out, blending with a fierce growl. Jasmine didn’t dare take her eyes off the human male in front of her. He screamed profanity at her as he retrained the gun in her direction. She took a defensive stance and darted to the side when he let loose another bullet. Shadeau’s black form jumped in front of her. She whipped her head in the other direction to see the man across the road lying still on the ground. Shadeau had taken him out quickly and efficiently.
Her gaze moved back to their foe and they attacked from both sides. Another bang rent the air, accompanied by frantic screams as they took him down. When he stopped moving, Jasmine took a step backward and stumbled.
No
!
Jasmine turned her head and looked at her side. Dark rivulets ran down, staining her white fur. And damn if it didn’t burn like hell. Her gaze moved to Shadeau’s. His form flickered and then he stood on two legs in the snow.
He fell to his knees at her side. “Hang on, Jasmine. I’m going to get you help.”
Jasmine could feel her hold on her animal form slipping. With her last bit of strength she opened up her mind to her pack. Their voices were faint, but there.
Hurt. Where?
North of the den. Where are you?
Jasmine recognized Ashok’s voice.
Den
. She lost her hold on her wolf and shifted. Shadeau scooped her up into his arms. She winced at the pain in her side. He clamped one hand down over the wound and applied pressure. She whimpered and sucked in a deep breath as he started to run.
“North,” she gritted between clenched teeth.
He beat feet in that direction. “Going, but don’t you dare die on me.”
She laced her arms around his neck and ground her teeth as pain zipped through her abdomen. Each step bounced her enough to make her see stars. She shouldn’t have left on her own. Had she tried to convince him again she would have reached out to her pack sooner and would have known not to go to the den.
Why had the human men attacked them? They weren’t a threat to humans so why in the hell had those guys attacked them?
Shadeau’s harsh breaths burst through his lips as he ran. Such sexy lips that had loved her thoroughly only hours ago. Had she not sneaked away they could even now be bringing pleasure to her body instead of the stabbing pain that racked her.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Don’t you start that. Don’t start talking like you aren’t going to make it. You’ll be fine. We can talk about it when you’re better.”
She smiled at his optimism then winced as he climbed a hill. Her body was growing weaker. Black dots started to cloud her vision. Her body trembled and gooseflesh erupted over her skin. Cold. So cold. Eventually she lost the battle to stay awake.
Shadeau howled into the night when he felt her body go limp. He could still hear her heart beating faintly. He pushed himself hard, wanting to find his mate help.
He shouldn’t have been so stubborn. Should have listened to her when she asked him to consider going to her pack. He knew Arik wanted to breed fear into the humans, he just hadn’t expected them to go head-hunting—or more like pelt—so quickly.
Damn it! Had he just listened to her she’d be safe with her pack. He’d be at their mercy but she’d be safe and that’s all he wanted. His heart clenched as more blood ran down his arm and dripped onto the snow. To find her and lose her would drive him mad.
He wanted to know her. Not just her gorgeous body but the person inside her. He wanted to know what made her laugh and cry. What food she liked to eat. The thought of never knowing anything else about the beauty in his arms made him howl with anguish.
No. He wouldn’t lose her. He refused to. His muscles quaked and his feet were numb from the biting cold but he pulled out even more strength, fueling his legs.
The roar of an engine ahead made him cautious. He hoped it was her pack mates coming to the rescue, but it could very well be humans. Headlights crested the hill in front of him and stopped as he made out two figures inside the cab of the truck. Five more jumped out of the bed and headed toward him. They stood downwind and he could smell the wolf on them. He wanted to sag in relief.
Shadeau made for the bed of the truck. A man reached down for Jasmine and it took everything Shadeau felt for her to hand her over. He knew they didn’t intend her harm, but he didn’t want to let her go. He’d concede long enough to get into the bed of the truck himself then he’d have her back.
“Luken, that’s him. He took her!”
Shadeau spun around to see a blonde petite woman pointing at him.
“Jasmine smells like him and her coming heat!”
Everything happened quickly. The truck sped away before he could even get a leg up. Fists started flying. He lost count of how many attacked him. He fought back. They were taking his mate away from him. When he hit the ground a solid boot landed in his chest. He fought to suck in his next breath. Another booted foot landed in the middle of his back.
Shadeau lashed out and gripped a foot that was incoming for another blow and he yanked as hard as he could. The person landed hard on his back in the snow. Something hit the back of Shadeau’s head and black spots filled his vision. He tried to stay alert. He needed to get to Jasmine. His Jasmine.
A second blow landed hard, but thankfully darkness took him before the pain could set in.
“Why aren’t we killing him?”
Luken looked toward Ashok and answered his question. “Believe me, I want to. But we have to pump him for information.”
Another truck pulled up and Luken pointed toward the bed. “Toss him in and let’s get the hell out of here before some humans show up.”
Things were quickly going further and further down the tubes. At least they’d found Jasmine. But why did the wolf carry her here? It didn’t exactly make sense. Unless he was thinking he could hide from the humans and pass himself off. There were lone wolves in the area. Hell they’d taken some in, in the last twenty-four hours. If Julie hadn’t recognized him, then he might have gotten away with it.
The humans were out for blood. There was no choice but to band together until some peace could be brought from this mess. Already the alphas were butting heads, but they all knew this was the way it had to be for now.
Luken climbed up into the truck and they took off, heading for their camp. Julie had driven out in his truck soon after identifying the male wolf. He hoped she reached the camp safely. He was glad they had Jasmine back, but fear for his new mate’s safety tended to make him a little crazy.
“What are we going to do with him?” Rodney, one of his soldier wolves, asked.
“We’ll have to find a way to restrain him. I’m sure we’ll come up with something.”
It really sucked being displaced. Arik was a dead wolf walking. All-out war was coming and the asshole had insured the humans’ part in it. Nature had been knocked out of alignment with the son of a bitch’s creation. But the fucker would pay. And pay dearly for the all the harm he’d caused.
He might have put a target on the backs of the Ozarks’ wolves, but he’d also painted a large one on his own.
Pain arced through Jasmine’s brain as she tried to open her eyes. She squeezed the lids down tight on a moan.
“Easy.”
A soft female voice drifted through the fog in her head. Jasmine opened her mouth to reply, but only a garbled sound came out. Forming words would take more concentration.
“You’ve lost a lot of blood, but you’re going to be okay. We were really scared for the first few days. But your vitals have been stable for the last twenty-four hours.”
Days? Jasmine tried to open her eyes again, this time only a crack. They watered from the bright light. She brought her hand up to shield them.
“Let me cut the light.”
That same female voice. She knew it, but still a name hadn’t popped into place. The room dimmed and Jasmine sighed in relief. With caution she lowered her hand and tried to focus on the woman. Blonde hair on top of a blurry head. She blinked a few times, and with each swoop of her lashes the woman came into focus.
“Uuuulllie?” Lord, that wasn’t any better of an attempt at speech.
“Yes. It’s me, Julie. I’m so happy you’re okay and home safe with us.”
Jasmine brought her hand up, wanting to rub it down her face, but was halted by a clear plastic tube connected to her arm.
“Whoa. You don’t want to rip that out. They had a time getting that one in. Your veins kept blowing. You were so low on blood when you got here.”
She’d been shot. Memories started to form in fragmented pieces. But one distinctive memory evolved, and Jasmine bolted up in the bed. “Shadeau!”
The movement made her dizzy and she slumped sideways. But fear won. She shoved the blankets to the floor and swung her legs over the side of the bed…er…cot. Where in the hell was she?
She perused the area. Definitely a tent. A large one, but yeah, most definitely a tent.
“Who’s Shadeau? Is that the asshole who took you?” Julie asked.
Jasmine pinned Julie with her gaze. “Yes. No.” She cupped one hand over her forehead as another wave of dizziness washed through her. “I mean he’s not an asshole, he’s my mate.”
Silence met her confession and had her dropping her hand away to look at Julie. She was pale, and her jaw hinged open then closed.
“Wait. What did you just say?”
Jasmine repeated, “My mate. Where is he?”
“Oh my. We didn’t know. But I saw him. He took you.”
Jasmine groaned. “Yes, he did. But it was because he realized I was his mate. It’s complicated. But I need to see him. Take me to where he is.” She stood up on shaky legs and Julie rushed forward to steady her.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I have to see him. You said I’ve been out for days. Where have you kept him all this time?” Her mind spun with thoughts of his treatment. If Julie had identified him then it wouldn’t be good. “I need to talk to Luken.” She jerked at her IV until the plastic tube popped from her arm. Tossing it onto the bed, she headed for the door, towing Julie with her by the hand.
“You really should get back in the bed. You nearly died for crying out loud.”
“I need to get to my mate. It must be bad.”
Julie stopped trying to restrain her and walked with her instead, gripping her arm. “We had no idea, Jasmine. You have to understand. Tyson was able to capture one of their wolves. He told us they were taking females to breed. You came in smelling of him. We thought the worst.”
Tears blurred Jasmine’s vision. She blinked, freeing them to roll down her cheeks. Definitely the worst. “Just get me to him.”
They exited the tent and the wet ground met her bare feet. The snow had begun to melt while she was unconscious. The sun rode low on the horizon and she was thankful for the low light. Her head pounded and her side ached, but all she could concentrate on was finding him. “Which way?”
Julie nodded her head in the direction of a tent sitting off to the side by itself. It took great will not to run. She could see Tobias standing guard, his ebony arms like bands of iron crossed in front of his chest. His gaze widened as she neared.
“I know you want a piece of this fucker, but you might want to recover a little more first. You still look pale,” he said.
Oh God. No, she didn’t want to tear into him. “Get out of my way, Tobias.” She swiped at the tears on her cheeks with the back of her hands.
“Jasmine!”
Her gaze moved to the open flap of the tent. “I’m here!”
She barreled past Tobias as Julie spoke. She didn’t hear what was said. When she cleared the opening, her belly gave a sour roll and a sob broke free of her lips. They’d beaten him badly.
She rushed to his side and laid her hand in his. He squeezed her fingers. Shackles encircled his wrists and elbows, pinning his arms effectively behind his back. The metal had cut into his flesh. Dried blood crusted the wounds.
“They wouldn’t tell me anything. I feared you’d died,” Shadeau whispered.
She kissed his forehead then laid the side of her face against it. “No. I’m good. I’m so sorry they did this to you.”
“What in the hell?”
Jasmine spun around at the sound of her alpha’s voice. Luken filled the doorway of the tent. He didn’t look pleased. Her own anger rose to the fore. “How could you do this to him?”
“Jasmine, he took you. He belongs to Arik,” Luken replied. “And not to mention he killed some of my pack mates—your pack mates.”
“Don’t yell at her for my offenses,” Shadeau growled, pulling his shoulders back.
Jasmine swallowed hard. Even though Shadeau had been beaten and bound, her mate was strong and proud. She focused on her alpha. “He didn’t kill anyone. But, Luken, please let me explain. He’s my mate. He took me to protect me.”
“And I’m guessing he is the one who told you he didn’t kill anyone. So I guess he was just there for a damn stroll? You can’t believe a word coming out of his mouth, Jasmine.”
Konrad, Brock and Tyson filed into the tent, flashing a bunch of “what the fuck” all over their faces.
“Luken, please. At least let me explain,” Jasmine pleaded.
Luken looked at the other alphas then back at Jasmine. “You have five minutes with him then we’re going to talk.”
Jasmine watched everyone exit the tent, leaving her alone with Shadeau. As soon as the flap swung shut she turned her attention back to her mate. “I’m going to straighten this all out.”
His head turned in her direction. Both eyes were damn near swollen shut. His nose looked as if it had been broken, and since it wasn’t reset it was healing in an odd position.
“I’m just glad you’re alive.”
Jasmine snuggled next to him. “I’ll make them free you.”
Shadeau laughed. “Good luck with that.”
How could he laugh at a time like this? “I don’t see what you find amusing.”
“I’ve spent days with the four alphas. We’ve been getting acquainted. I dare say they don’t like me very much.”
“I’ll make it right. It’s my fault things reached this point. I shouldn’t have run off like that.”
“If I wouldn’t have been so stubborn then you wouldn’t have had to. But it doesn’t matter now. Now we have to move forward.”
* * * * *
“I say we still kill the bastard,” Brock said as he propped his feet up on the long folding table inside the tent where they’d been meeting to strategize.
Luken stared at Brock. His mohawk was colored dark blue today and his gages sported matching skulls. “Believe me. I really want to. But I can’t do that to Jasmine.” He plopped down in a chair and banged his forehead against the table. “We can’t trust him. And every time I look at him, I want to carve his heart out for what he did to my pack.”
“Not to mention he’s a flip,” Tyson chimed in.
“Yeah. That’s a big problem in and of itself,” Konrad said.
Luken looked at the other two alphas. Konrad looked pensive. His dark short hair pushed back from his forehead from the many times he’d run his hands through it. Tyson leaned against a supporting post inside the tent, his lithe form tense and his facial expression thoughtful.
The wolf they had chained up was a flip. Not very many existed. Most were lone wolfs. They were alpha enough to run their own packs, but most didn’t have the desire to do so. So when or if they joined a pack their loyalty was shaky at best. A ruling alpha would be unable to subjugate them. And pack law and stability relied on those under their alpha to be submissive. To be able to take orders and not deviate from them.
Luken spoke. “There’s no way we can bring him in. He doesn’t owe anyone here loyalty. He can’t be trusted.”
“I disagree.” Tyson pushed away from the beam and began to pace. “If what I heard was correct, he’s the woman’s mate.”
“Yes. At least that’s what she said,” Brock stated.
Luken growled. “Jasmine has no reason to lie about it.”
Konrad held up his hands. “Okay. Let’s refrain from insulting each other’s pack mates.”
“Then the wolf has loyalty to her,” Tyson said.
Brock laughed. “Oh okay. That clears all that up.”
Tyson turned on the alpha. “Stop being a smartass, Brock. I’m serious. Ask these other two knuckleheads who their greatest loyalty lies with.”
Konrad raised a brow. “He has a point.”
Brock stood up. “Just because you two idiots are pussy-whipped doesn’t mean anything.”
Luken launched himself at Brock with a growl. They both tumbled backward when the chair gave way. Fists flew, landing against flesh with resounding thumps. Brock always had something shitty to say, no matter what. And he was tired of him aiming his comments his way. Luken may be new to the alpha-in-charge game, but he’d had enough of this smartass’s lip.
They were equally matched and Konrad and Tyson had a hell of a time getting the two split apart. But finally the other two alphas created space between them.
“Enough!” Konrad roared.
Luken righted his clothes as Tyson released his hold on him. It wasn’t the first fight between two of them and most likely it wouldn’t be the last. There was just too much testosterone in one place. Two days ago it had been Tyson and Konrad that they’d had to pull apart. But circumstance had them by the balls. There was strength in numbers. And now that they were apparently in a forced war with the humans and Arik they had no choice.
“Ask any mated male that question, Brock,” Tyson said.
Brock pulled out of Konrad’s grip and wiped blood off his lower lip. “Fine. But who the hell is going to trust that, because I’m not taking on the responsibility of him.”
“I can’t promise I won’t kill him for what he’s done,” Luken ground out. Those deaths affected him. Jasmine said he didn’t kill any of them, but how in the hell was he supposed to believe that? Deaths occurred, and at this point Shadeau was at least guilty by association and he couldn’t ask his pack to take in someone who had killed their loved ones.
“It would be hard for me to take him on as well.” Konrad ran a hand through his hair. “Lots of those who died were with me before.”
“I’ll do it,” Tyson spoke up. “You’ll have to transfer Jasmine to me as well.”
* * * * *
Tobias stuck his head into the tent. “Jasmine, Luken is waiting for you.”
Jasmine nodded in his direction then turned and placed a kiss on Shadeau’s lips. “I’ll be back shortly.”
“Pretty sure I’ll be here.”
She rolled her eyes as she got up. He was trying so hard to keep things light. How in the world he didn’t hate her for what her family had done to him she didn’t know. But she would get this set to rights. She’d known Luken for a long time. He was like her brother. Surely he would understand.
She walked away from the tent and as she made her way in the direction Tobias had indicated, she noticed the alpha Tyson marching toward the tent where Shadeau was.
“What?”
Tobias gripped her upper arm to stay her. “He’s just going to talk with him. No fists will be used.”
Jasmine clenched her jaw. “There damn well better not.”
Tobias laughed. “There’s the spitfire I remember.”
Jasmine leaned her head against his shoulder. It was always good to hear him laugh. Most times Tobias seemed so serious, but every once in a while he would let close pack mates see this side of him. She figured it was probably his way of showing relief in the fact she didn’t die. That she was okay. “I love you too,” she whispered. He squeezed her arm in answer.
As they approached the tent she saw Brock exit. His lips were swollen and his shirt was torn. Konrad ducked out next. He strode straight to her. She tried not to wince at the pain in her side when he pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.
“Glad you made it,” he spoke against the top of her head then let her go.
Tobias walked off with Konrad, leaving her to face Luken alone. She sucked in a fortifying breath and pushed the tent flap back. She spotted him sitting in a chair on the other side of a long table. His cheekbone was swollen and bruised. That answered the question of who had bloodied Brock’s lip. She knew it must be hard for these alphas to be in such tight quarters. Hell, she wasn’t even sure why they felt the need to.